Welded rail joint



June 112, 11923.

E. M. T. RYDER WELDED RAIL JOINT Filed May 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

A TIORNEYS June 12, 1923.

E. M. T. RYDER WELDED RAIL JOINT Filed May 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. I

(WnJ/W ATTORNEYS Patented til-mine 12, 1923.

UNITED STATES ELY M. T. RYDER, OF YONKERS, NEW YQRK.

WELDED RAIL JOINT.

Application filed May 23, 1922. Serial No. 563,000.

To all whom/it may concern:

Be it known that I, ELY M. T. RYDER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Yonkers, in the county of Westchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Welded Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

In the present methods of seam-welding rail joints, the rails are each separately welded to a joint plate so that all strains, whether shear, impact, bending or tensile strains, are transmitted from one rail to the other entirely through the plates, either fishplates or base-plates. Particularly, no provision is made for the shear and impact strains due to the weight of the blow from the rolling wheels, with the result that the seam under the head of the rail on the receiving side of the joints often cracks just at the rail end. This crack then extends progressively along the joint for its entire length, and after the failure of thisseam, the other seams fail and the entire welded joint structure becomes disrupted and Worthless.

I have observed in a very large number of rail joints, that when the initial cracking above described does not occur, the joint remains sound and useful, and it is one of the objects of my present invention to prevent the initial cracking above referred to.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which I have illustrated thesame embodied in a Trilby type and in a T-type of rail, it being understood that my invention is equally applicable ,to rails of any type. In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a rail joint formed between two Trilby type of rails and embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is a cross-section taken between the end of the two rails of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, similar to Fig. 2, of a joint formed between two T- rails; Fig. 4 is a plan view of Fig. 3, and Fi 5 is a fragmentary cross-section similar to Fig. 3 but taken outside of the supplemental weld formed in accordance with my invention.

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring, now, to the drawings, and first to Figs. 1 and 2, 10, 10 are the adjacent ends of two Trilby type of rails each provided with a head 11 forming a tread surface for the wheel, a web 12 and a flange 13. Fishplates 14 are provided on one or both sides of the rail, and here shown on both sides, engaging the head of the rail on the under side thereof, as at 15, and engaging the base flange, as at 16, the engagin portions commonly being known as the shing surfaces. The fish-plates are welded to the adjacent portions of the rails, and preferably welded both to the head, as indicated at 17, and to the base flange, as at 18.,

Rail joints embodying the structure described up to this point are well known in the art, and no claim is made for the same per se. Rail joints so formed, however, are open to the objections above pointed out. In order to overcome these objections, I weld a section of one rail directly to the section of the adjacent rail and also to the entire width of the top of the joint plate, and preferably proceed as follows:

I form a recess between adjacent portions of the two rails, and preferably .form the same on either or both sides in the head of the rail, as at 19. The recess 19 preferably extends only partially across the head of the rail, as illustrated in Fi 1, and extends upwardly from the fish-plate 14 to the tread surface of the rail, and is illustrated as of a groove or blunt V-shape in section, the recess preferably extending entirely across the top of the joint plate. Therecess is then, at least, partially, and preferably completely, filled with metal welded to the facing ends of the two rails which form the walls of the recess 19 and to the top of the joint plate 14 across the entire width thereof, the welding being carried out either by electric welding with either metallic or carbon electrodes, by gas welding, thermit welding, or any other method. The metal within the recess is thus integral with the 'metal forming the weld 17 between the joint plate 14 and the two rails. With the Trilby type of rail, illustrated in Fi s. 1 and 2, a second recess 19 is preferabl fy formed on the other or lip side of the rail, in' which a weld of the same character as the weld in the recess 19 is made.

The arrangement illustrated in Figs. 3, 4 and 5 will readily be understood from the foregoing description and need not be specifically described. lVith this arrangement,

' however, it is preferable to form a recess between the two rails at one side only thereof for the supplemental weld which is made in accordance with my invention, as it is generally undesirable to place such a weld where it is subjected to the action of the treads of the wheels.

It will, of course, be understood that the shape ofthe recess or groove may be varied, depending upon the width and shape of the rail head, but it is not generally desirable to carry it entirely across the head, as not less than one-half the surface of the rail head which comes in contact with the wheel should be of the original rail metal, in order to preserve an adequate supporting surface of uniform composition of metal to prevent the wear or cupping which might otherwise occur due to the presence of a different metal.

In accordance with my invention, the con tinuity of metal between the two heads prevents the receiving rail head from sinking below the level of the run-01f rail head under the weight of the car wheels, thus avoiding impact strains, which are especially likely to cause the initial crack in the seam above referred to. The necessary longitudinal tensile and bending strength is provided by the seam weld throughout the length of the joint plates, but it does not provide adequate re-- sistance against shear and impact strains,

which resistance is provided, in accordance with my present invention, by the supplemental weld which directly joins the ends of the two rails and the top of the joint plates.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A rail joint comprising alined rails, a joint platev fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, and a supplemental weld formed between and directly joining the ends of the respective rails to each other and to the top of the joint plate across the entire width thereof. I

2. A rail joint comprising alined rails, a joint plate fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails at the outer side thereof, and metal within said recess weld- 1 joint plate fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails at the outer Bide thereof, and metal within said recess.

Welding the ends of the respective rails to each other and to the top of the joint plate across the entire width thereof.

4. A rail joint comprising alined rails having head and lip portions, joint plates fitting between the fishingsurfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails at the outer side thereof,

a recess formed between the lips of said rails adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails at the outer side thereof, a recess formed between the lips of said rails on the opposite side thereof from the heads, and metal within said recesses welding the heads and lips of the rails directly to each other and to the tops of the joint plates across the entire width thereof.

6. A rail joint comprising alined rails, a joint plate fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails and above said joint plate, the metal within said recess being integral with the welding material between the joint plate and the rails and welding the ends of said rails directly to each other. i v

7. A rail joint comprising alined rails, a joint plate fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between'the heads of said rails and above said joint plate, the metal within said recess being integral with the welding material between the joint plate and the rails and welding the ends of said rails-directly'to each other and to the top of the ioint plate across the entire width thereof.

8. A rail joint comprising alined rails having head and lip portions, joint plates fitting between the fishing-surfaces of the adjacent ends of the respective rails and welded thereto, a recess formed between the heads of said rails at the outer side thereof, and metal within said recess welding the ends of the respective rails to each other and to the top of the joint plate, the inner side of the abutting ends of said rails being unconnected by welding metal along the tread of the rail.

ELY M. T. RYDER. 

